


Along Came A Catbird

by XiuChen4Ever



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bird/Human Hybrids, Cat/Human Hybrids, Courting Rituals, Hybrids, M/M, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:54:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23006062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XiuChen4Ever/pseuds/XiuChen4Ever
Summary: Perhaps it’s supposed to be the cat chasing the bird, but Jongdae’s content for it to be the other way around.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 48
Kudos: 132
Collections: EXZOO : First Exchange





	Along Came A Catbird

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xiuchenlay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiuchenlay/gifts).



> Dear friend,
> 
> Please consider this revenge in installments for all the times you've slain me with your fic. Yes, I am using your bingo card against you. No, I am not sorry in the least.
> 
> I am sorry that due to other fest obligations I'm not able to write you the full fic you deserve at this exact moment, so I hope you'll have patience with me as I torture you slowly. Your demise is all planned out, and I'll work on it when I can between other projects, so please anticipate!

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

It all starts on a sunny day in late summer when Jongdae, like the cat hybrid he is, is enjoying a lovely drowse in a patch of sunlight. He’s on his favorite blanket beneath a tree in the park, because his human loves playing soccer and Jongdae, like most Singapuras, loves to be involved in everything his human does. But the sun is warm and his blanket is soft and he’s scrunched it into the comfiest little nest from which to supervise his athletic human. He’d been singing to himself earlier, but now he’s just gazing at the field between slow blinks. Really  _ long  _ blinks.

His eyes pop wide open when an emerald-green bird lands on his blanket. It has a dandelion head in its beak, and it bobs its iridescent head up and down a bit before hopping forward on legs that seem rather long for its size. It sets the dandelion on Jongdae’s blanket, poking at it with its sturdy ivory beak until it’s perfectly facing upward, a tiny little sun against the sky blue of the blanket.

Then it meows at him.

Jongdae pulls his head back, tilting it to one side. He blinks his yellow-green eyes—rapidly this time.

The bird meows again, tilting its own head.

Unsure what else to do, Jongdae meows back.

The bird flutters its wings, raising and lowering its head. Then it flies away.

Jongdae watches it go for a minute, but then Lu Han scores a goal and Jongdae’s too busy cheering to think about the odd green bird.

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

He remembers it on the way home, distracted from whining under the weight of Lu Han’s duffle bag by the field of dandelions the footpath crosses.

“Lu-ge, what kinds of birds are green?”

“Green? Like, parrots?”

“It wasn’t a parrot. It was kinda like a crow? Except green. Very shiny. It left a dandelion on my blanket.”

“A green bird left a dandelion on your blanket?”

“Yeah—then we meowed at each other and it flew away.”

Lu Han laughs. “DaeDae, did you fall asleep during the game? Was this a dream you had?” He reaches out to ruffle Jongdae’s sepia-agouti hair, making Jongdae flatten his ears to the sides.

“It wasn’t a dream—the dandelion was really on my blanket.”

“Where is it now?”

Jongdae frowns, tail flicking behind him. “I think I lost it when I was jumping around after you won. But it was there, I swear!”

“I believe you, DaeDae.”

His playful tone reveals that Lu Han does  _ not, _ in fact, believe him. Jongdae pouts until Lu Han suggests tilapia for dinner.

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

But the next time they’re at the park, it happens again. Lu Han’s running drills with his team—Jongdae is very proud that his human is clever and skilled enough to be the team’s captain—and Jongdae is lounging on his blanket, munching on squid chips. Between bites, he’s texting Baekhyun and Chanyeol about what movie to see together that weekend and singing bars of a pop song that’s stuck in his head.

The green bird lands right beside his elbow, hopping back a little when Jongdae startles, claws briefly emerging from his fingertips. This time, it has a sprig of half-ripened hackberries in its beak. It sets it down, then flies off without fanfare. Jongdae sits up, and by the time he’s fixed his hair to curve properly over his forehead, the green bird is back with a second sprig.

Jongdae watches in fascination as it arranges the berries to be fanned out evenly on the sprigs, hopping back to eye them critically, reddish irises catching the sunlight to glint like rubies among the emerald feathers. It nudges one of the berries slightly with its beak, then hops back to tilt its head up at Jongdae.

It meows at him again.

Jongdae meows back.

The bird does a short little spread-winged, waggle-tailed dance of sorts, then looks back up at Jongdae.

It seems to be expecting something, so Jongdae meows again.

The bird hops twice, meowing back. Jongdae smiles down at it, and it flies away.

Remembering the phone in his hand, Jongdae takes photos of the carefully-arranged hackberries, sending some to Baek and Yeol.

####       ` _ <img attached>  
≪a bird is confused_ `

####       ` ≫lol wut`

####       ` _≪idk a shiny green bird brought me plants twice now_ `

####       ` ≫does it think ur a bird 2`

####       ` ≫lol or it has a death wish  
≫did it not see ur kitty claws`

####       ` _≪idk!!! we meowed at eachother tho_ `

####       ` ≫😂  
≫birds dont meow`

####       ` ≫maybe it was a mockingbird  
≫those mimic stuff right`

####       ` _≪idk shit about birds  
≪this ones pretty tho_ `

Curious, Jongdae looks up mockingbirds on his phone. They’re a soft grey color, a far cry from the green jewel that had landed on his blanket. He searches for ‘green bird’ but just ends up with images of parrots and hummingbirds, and Jongdae’s pretty sure his visitor isn’t a parrot. It’s definitely not a hummingbird.

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

Whatever it is, it seems really smart. Because the next time Jongdae’s sprawled out watching Lu Han practice, it brings him a sealed bag of squid chips, the same brand and flavor he’d been enjoying the other day.

“Wow,” Jongdae says, breaking off his rendition of IU’s ‘Marshmallow.’ “Did you really bring that for me?”

The iridescent green head bobs up and down, then the bird meows.

Jongdae meows back, tail lifting over his head in pleased amusement. When it lands beside him again, the tip flicks off the blanket, dragging a few grass clippings with it when it returns to the sky blue fleece.

The bird squawks, then hops over to pick up each stray bit of grass and fling it off the blanket. It even picks the pieces out of the brown-ticked fur of Jongdae’s tail. It tilts its head one way, then the other, and, evidently satisfied with its work, it hops back over in front of Jongdae to nudge the bag of squid chips with its beak and meow up at him again.

“Thanks,” Jongdae smiles.

The bird bobs its head again, then freezes when Jongdae slowly reaches a finger towards it, claw carefully retracted. It permits him to stroke the soft, shimmery feathers on top of its head a few times, then flutters out of reach, spreading wings and tail intermittently as it boogies around in front of him. It meows, Jongdae meows back, and the bird lowers its head, a lilac crest suddenly springing up like a surprise mohawk.

The bird squawks, lifts its wingtips to cover the top of its head, then flies away so fast the draft from its wings knocks the bag of squid chips over.

Puzzled but strangely flattered, Jongdae smiles to himself while enjoying the unusual bird’s crunchy offering.

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

He doesn’t see the bird for a week. He laughs at himself a little for looking out for it instead of watching Lu Han play. But he’s undeniably disappointed when it hasn’t showed up for the third practice in a row.

He’s distracted from his pout by the sight of a guy dragging someone else down the footpath by the arm.

“Come on, hyung, if your cat didn’t bite you when you were in your feathers, he’s not going to bite you now. It’ll be fine, and if he’s rude, I’ll shift and peck the shit out of him.”

“Shut up—he can probably hear you.”

The guy doing the dragging turns his head impossibly far around to glare at Jongdae through round-framed glasses. “I don’t care—I’ve had enough of this nonsense. Court him properly and shut the hell up with all your caterwauling when a guy’s trying to sleep.”

The pair come to a halt in front of Jongdae’s blanket, and the three of them just blink at each other for a moment. The guy with the glasses still has a grip on the other’s arm, who seems unable to escape despite the fact that he’s slightly taller and certainly broader than his aggressor. But the apparent victim’s nice physique and handsome face are far less notable than his emerald-green hair, iridescence playing over it when it catches the afternoon sun. Except that the direct sunlight also reveals that neither of the guys actually has hair—their heads are covered with fine little  _ feathers. _

“Holy claws, you’re a shifter,” Jongdae blurts, tail lifting straight up along with his ears.

The green-haired—feathered—guy blushes a deep pink as the other guy—fluffy feathers a dark espresso brown—bursts out laughing.

“Only a little bit dumb, I see,” he says. “I’m Kyungsoo, and this is Minseok, and he’d really like to take you on a proper date like a normal humanoid being.”

“Oh,” Jongdae says, feeling his cheeks heat up to match his apparent suitor’s. “I’m Jongdae. And I think I’d like that.” He offers Minseok a smile. The guy had been adorable and thoughtful in bird form—he’d probably be a very attentive date, and like most of his breed, Jongdae  _ loves _ attention.

“There, see?” Kyungsoo says, all but shoving Minseok toward Jongdae’s blanket. “You two get to know each other—I’m going back to bed.”

Minseok’s sleek emerald feathers are clamped flat to his head and he’s staring at his grey suede shoes, shifting his weight awkwardly. Like the green bird, his legs seem rather long compared to his modest height, the effect further emphasized by the fact that he seems to be trying to pull his head into his torso.

“You’re welcome to sit with me,” Jongdae invites, patting the blanket.

“Th-thanks.” Minseok carefully lowers himself to sit on the edge of the blanket, removing his shoes and lining them up tidily at the edge before scooting back next to Jongdae. “Sorry about Kyungsoo… I wouldn’t have bothered you, but he’s stronger than he looks, and… yeah.” Minseok fusses with the hem of his jeans, fixing it to lay perfectly smooth over his clean white sock.

“You’re not bothering me,” Jongdae assures him, trying not to be obvious about inhaling the guy’s crisp, piney scent. “I honestly missed my fine feathered friend, even if I do indeed feel a bit dumb not to have realized sooner you weren’t just a bird.”

“I’m a birdbrain, though,” Minseok huffs. “I should have just come over and said hi instead of letting my avian instincts take over.”

“Aww, but it was really cute,” Jongdae laughs. “I really liked the little tail-wiggling dance.”

Minseok flushes further, hugging his knees and hiding his face against them, so Jongdae decides to have mercy on the guy and change the subject. He holds out the bag of snacks, bumping it against Minseok’s shoulder and making the plastic crinkle nicely.

“Crunchy ring?”

Minseok lifts his head, flicking his eyes to Jongdae’s face just long enough that he can see that his irises are a dark ruby red in this form, too. Then he’s looking down at the bag of snacks, cheeks sweetly pink.

“D-does this mean you’re courting me, too?” he asks. “I, um. Don’t know much about cats. Ironically.” His full lips quirk into a lopsided half-smile.

If Jongdae had any reservations before, that smile obliterates them. “Of course,” he says, even though he’d just wanted to give the guy something to distract him. “Birds give food to those they’re interested in?”

“I don’t know about all birds,” Minseok says as he delicately reaches into the bag and pulls out a ring without making the bag crinkle at all. “But the ones in my family certainly do.”

The way he bites into the snack, pulling his lips out of the way to do so neatly, tongue flicking out to catch any crumbs, is cute enough to make Jongdae want to bring him all the snacks in the world, courtship or not. The feathers on his head fluff up a little, a few of the longer ones even falling over his forehead. This draws attention to Minseok’s large, beautifully-angled eyes that squeeze closed as he emits a little hum of pleasure at the flavor of the oniony ring.

“I do like snacks,” Jongdae says, watching his offering continue to disappear between Minseok’s lips. “But you don’t have to bribe me to go out with you.”

“It’s not really a bribe,” Minseok says when he’s licked all the crumbs from his well-defined cupid’s bow, revealing that one ‘crumb’ is actually a faint little freckle. “It’s just a silly urge to, like, prove we can provide for a mate, I guess. I’m super embarrassed about the berries—they weren’t even ripe, and cats probably don’t eat berries, anyway.”

“I’m not too picky of an eater, but I did appreciate the squid chips a lot more,” Jongdae laughs, flicking an ear. “Why did you decide to start bringing me things, anyway?”

“You have a really nice voice,” Minseok informs his kneecaps. “You’re always singing, and, well. I’m an avian. I kind of have a thing for guys who can sing.”

Jongdae grins. Lu Han likes to joke that Jongdae’s breed was so named because they sing and they purr, not because they were originally native to Singapore.

“In that case, I propose our first date be at a karaoke room.”

Jongdae wonders if Minseok’s cheeks and ears would look so red if his feathers weren’t that contrasting jewel-like green.

“That sounds really fun,” Minseok says, then gives Jongdae an even sweeter lopsided smile.

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

“My DaeDae’s quite the smitten kitten,” Lu Han laughs as they walk home together.

Ever since his human stepped off the field, Jongdae’s been chatting at him animatedly about Minseok and how cute he is and his beautiful feathers and handsome face and his adorable courting.

“Lu-ge, he’s the most precious thing. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

“I feel like I should scowl at him when he picks you up, lecture him about proper, gentlemanly treatment of my hybrid, and demand he have you home by curfew,” Lu Han says, elbowing Jongdae gently in the ribs. “It’d be a fitting revenge for all the times you’ve silently glared at my dates until they proved themselves worthy.”

“Which is exactly why I’m going to meet him at the noraebang,” Jongdae sings, tail swishing smugly behind him. “He’s so shy, Lu-ge. It’s totally adorable, but I don’t want you to scare him off. You can meet him when he’s less flighty.”

“He’s an avian shifter—he’s always going to be ‘flighty,’” Lu Han points out, grinning at Jongdae’s groan. “What kind of avian is he, anyway?”

Jongdae freezes, ears splaying out to the side and tail going momentarily stiff. “You know, I didn’t even ask,” he says sheepishly as he trots to catch up with his longer-legged human.

Lu Han snorts. “Maybe I should be lecturing  _ you. _ Try to stop thirsting over him long enough to actually get to know him, you rutty little tomcat.”

“I’m only rutty in the spring,” Jongdae defends. “And I do want to get to know him. I want to learn  _ everything _ about my pretty living emerald.” He sighs just thinking about the way the slight iridescence of his feathers shifted each time Minseok moved his head.

“Lu Jongdae, if you start yowling at night because of this guy, I will drug your breakfast and you will wake up neutered.”

Jongdae shoves his human, shoulder to shoulder. “You would never, Mr. Future Lawyer,” he scoffs. “Nobody would even do that operation—you may be pretty, but life in prison still isn’t worth whatever sexual favors you’d offer to perform.”

“I’ll do it myself,” Lu Han insists, shoving him back. “At our kitchen table, with the dullest knife in the drawer. The bar association never needs to know.”

“I’d totally tell them,” Jongdae laughs. “You’re just gonna have to kill me.”

Lu Han ducks his chin to his chest, giving Jongdae a dramatically evil grin. “That can certainly be arranged.”

The shoving match escalates until Jongdae clambers up onto Lu Han’s back, claiming his favorite perch draped over his human’s shoulders. Lu Han’s not the tallest human around, but he’s Jongdae’s, and that makes him the best.

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

A few days later, Jongdae’s reconsidering the ‘best’ part of ‘best friend,’ lifting one brow as high as he can at the eyeshadow palette Baekhyun’s holding out.

“Bright yellow? Really?”

“Absolutely. If he brought you a dandelion, he probably associates the color yellow with courting or something. You sing with your eyes shut a lot, so if we do your lids in yellow, it’ll be like showing him a pair of dandelions while you woo him with your sexy voice.”

Jongdae frowns. “That… actually makes a weird sort of sense.”

“Of course it does—I’m a genius.” Baekhyun flicks his long bushy tail in emphasis. “Now close your eyes and hold still.”

Jongdae does his best to comply, and several minutes later has to admit the end result is indeed rather striking.

“Your sandy hair really sets it off,” Chanyeol says, floppy chocolate ears pricked forward as his white-tipped tail wags behind him.

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s not ‘sandy,’ it’s—”

“Agouti, yes, we know,” Baekhyun huffs, arranging the strands to frame Jongdae’s forehead. “Doesn’t change the fact that having each hair striped like that makes it look like sand. In the cutest possible way, of course.”

He runs his fingers through his own striped hair, alternating bands of dark and light running from his forehead to the nape of his neck. “You look good, Dae. Your little avian won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

It turns out that Jongdae isn’t going to be able to stop staring at Minseok, either. He’s waiting for Jongdae in front of the noraebang in dark skinny jeans and a jumper in rich shades of green very reminiscent of his avian form. A silvery feather-shaped earring dangles from one lobe. He blinks several times when he sees Jongdae, showing off smoke-lined eyes with a shimmer of lilac shadow. His glossy lips fall open and his feathers start to lift before clamping close against his head.

“You look amazing,” he says. He shakes himself a little, feathers fluffing again, then holds out a bag of crunchy rings. “I, uh. Couldn’t resist bringing you more snacks.”

“I am always happy to accept snacks.” Jongdae smiles as he takes the bag, noting Minseok’s gold-painted fingernails. “You look pretty stunning, yourself.” He smells good, too, piney scent now layered with some sort of complimentary spicy cologne.

“I already know you have an amazing voice,” Minseok says, downcast eyes emphasizing the pearlescent purple on his lids. “Figured I’d better show off a little, too.”

“No need for that,” Jongdae assures him. “You’re already the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

Minseok nods. “Everyone likes my feathers.” He lifts his gaze to meet Jongdae’s. “I’m proud of them, but I’d also like you to be looking at my face.”

Jongdae is already so gone over this guy and they’ve only barely met. He already wants to cradle that gorgeous face in his palms and kiss all the uncertainty off of it, but instead he just reaches for Minseok’s hand, fluttering a little at his side, fingers spread wide.

“Your feathers are lovely, of course,” Jongdae says. “But you also have really pretty eyes, makeup or no. And the way you’re biting your lip right now is killing me, so let’s go put a microphone in front of that mouth before I’m slain in the street.”

“I should have listened to my mother,” Minseok mutters as he lets Jongdae lead him into the building. “Cats really are dangerous.”

Jongdae laughs. “Even cute little kitties like me?” He folds his ears to either side and ducks his chin to look through his lashes at his adorably-flustered date.

Minseok scowls.  _ “Especially _ cute little kitties like you.”

Tail high and smile broad, Jongdae tugs his date toward the counter. “I invited you, so I’ll pay. But since you like feeding me, you can buy the drinks and stuff if you want.”

This draws a smile to Minseok’s lips. “Deal.”

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )

Singing with Minseok is really fun, and it only makes Jongdae more enamored with him. If Jongdae’s singing habit is closing his eyes, Minseok’s is moving to the beat. He can’t seem to stop himself from dancing a little, whether bobbing his head, shimmying a bit, raising and lowering his hands, arms, or the feathers on his head. It’s utterly enchanting. 

And Minseok proves to have quite the capable voice, himself. It’s velvety and versatile, and Jongdae finds he could listen to it all night long. If that weren’t enough to keep Jongdae’s rapt attention on its own, Minseok often holds one of the brightly-packaged snacks as he sings, waving it around like a treat in front of a spaniel.

“Eat one of these,” Jongdae finally says, holding one of the crunchy rings up to Minseok’s lips.

“You’re hand-feeding me?”

Jongdae freezes. “Is that insulting?”

“It’s, uh. Really… intimate.”

“Sorry,” Jongdae says, pressing the ring into Minseok’s fingers instead, then curling his hand toward his mouth as Minseok chuckles.

“Okay, okay,” he says, crunching his way through the snack. “Why was that so important?” he asks when it’s gone.

“Because,” Jongdae says, shifting closer. “I really want to kiss you, and I don’t want to be the only one with onion breath.”

Minseok’s eyes go wide. His fingers and feathers flutter.

“Is that okay?”

Minseok blinks. Then, very slowly, he nods.

Smiling, Jongdae leans in. He’s delighted when Minseok meets him halfway.

Minseok’s lips are as soft as they look and they taste even better than the yummiest snacks. And even better, Minseok makes a little sort of purry-chirp and reaches up to cup Jongdae’s face and pull him closer. Jongdae lets him take control, tail quivering with Minseok’s enthusiasm. He’d been so bold in his avian form but rather shy in humanoid shape. This renewed sign of confidence is more than welcome.

When Jongdae finally pulls back, he’s treated to a fantastic sight. All of Minseok’s lovely green feathers are fluffed completely upright, and a brilliant frill of lilac feathers is standing tall right in the center.

But as soon as Jongdae’s eyes flick upward, Minseok’s face contorts into a wince and he claps both hands over the crest, shoving it back down against his scalp as his whole spine seems to scrunch. Then he just looks at Jongdae with wide, horrified eyes.

Jongdae, through an extreme act of self-control that may or may not have entirely used up one of his supposed nine lives, does not laugh.

“What do you want to sing next?” he asks, blinking slowly above a gentle smile.

Minseok blinks. He slowly unscrunches. “Uh,” he says, hands still clamped to his head. “Maybe… TVXQ?”

Jongdae’s smile grows. “Time to rock out?”

Minseok nods, slowly lifting his hands. He drops them to his lap and gives Jongdae a little smile.

Jongdae has to concentrate very hard on the karaoke menu to avoid leaning over and kissing Minseok again.

They enjoy another hour of singing, but then Jongdae looks sadly at his phone.

“I’m having an absolute blast with you, and I’d totally ask you for coffee or something to prolong the fun, but I have work in the morning.”

“I understand,” Minseok says. “But maybe next time, let’s start with coffee? I mean, I still don’t even know how old you are or what—er. Well. Maybe next time we can chat a bit more.”

Jongdae facepalms. “I can’t believe we haven’t even exchanged basic details.” He looks up to smile at Minseok. “I am a terrible date.”

“You are not. This was the best date. You’re fun and very gracious. Thank you for, um. Not making a big deal about, um. Earlier.”

Jongdae just shrugs, holding the door for Minseok to exit the room. “I have no idea what you’re apologizing for. I’ve never known an avian, and I don’t know much about actual birds except that if you catch one and bring it home to your human, they screech a lot even though the little guy was perfectly unharmed.”

Minseok had cringed a little but breaks into a smile at the end of Jongdae’s sentence. “Oh no—you set it loose in the house, didn’t you?” He pushes open the door to the street, gesturing Jongdae through with a sweep of splayed fingers.

“Not on purpose!” Jongdae says as he steps out onto the sidewalk. “But yeah. Pillowcases spread over distorted coat hangers were eventually involved. But then I had the brilliant idea to open the window and sorta cat at him in that direction, and he flew away and has a wild story to tell his grandchicks.”

Minseok’s laugh is the most precious sound Jongdae’s furry ears have ever had the pleasure to receive. “Well. I’m glad it ended well for everyone.”

“It did. And I learned my lesson about hunting—the next cute little critter I brought home was actually a chipmunk hybrid, and he’s been my best friend ever since.”

“Aww. My best friend—and roommate, you met him briefly—is a spectacled owl shifter. Which usually works out well—we’re each out of each other’s way most of the time with our opposite schedules, but we still get to hang out in the mornings and evenings when we’re both awake.”

That sounds rather lonely to Jongdae, but he supposes not everyone wants to be with other people all the time. Jongdae’s not as extroverted as Baekhyun, but he still doesn’t really like feeling entirely  _ alone. _ That’s why, when he’d hit puberty and the scent of his father and brothers started to really annoy him, he’d decided to move in with a human instead.

He’s lived with Lu Han for about a decade now, and while Jongdae still sees his family regularly, it’s a relief to go home to an apartment scented only of his own feline pheromones (and Lu Han’s vanilla shampoo). He’s matched his own work schedule to Lu Han’s for the most part, so he can spend as much time with his human as possible. The idea of having to be alone and probably quiet while his roommate sleeps makes Jongdae itch just thinking about it.

But what he says is, “Kyungsoo, right? He seems… to know you really well.”

Minseok chuckles. “Yeah. We’ve known each other since we were chicks. Our parents nested in the same highrise.”

“That sounds like an interesting story I definitely want to hear, but I  _ really _ have to go,” Jongdae says, ears airplaned apologetically.

Minseok nods, then ducks his head. “May I have another kiss before we part?”

Jongdae is more than happy to step close beneath the awning, setting his hands on Minseok’s hips as Minseok cradles his face again. Their kiss this time is softer, slower, and when Minseok breaks away with a reluctant little sigh, Jongdae swipes his cheek against Minseok’s shoulder before he fully realizes what he’s doing.

“Sorry,” he apologizes, ears folded, eyes wide. “That was really forward of me.”

Minseok looks at his own shoulder, sniffing a little. Then he smiles, tilting his head in a way that makes his dangling feather earring catch the reddish light of the noraebang’s neon sign.

“It’s okay,” he says. “Your scent is really nice. Kinda lemony.”

Maybe birds don’t have very good sense of smell, because his hybrid pals all say he smells rather like battery acid (“But in a tolerable way,” per Baekhyun). Jongdae smiles, stiff tail resuming its usual relaxed swish. “Well. You have my number—let me know when you’d like to get that coffee. And, you know, you can just text me whenever. I like chatting.”

Minseok grins at him, wide enough to show his gums and turn his eyes into happy crescents. “Yeah, I did sort of notice that.”

Not until he gets home and Lu Han asks does Jongdae realize he still doesn’t know what kind of avian Minseok is.

#  ( ~~}}}}}~~ ~~{{{{{~~ )


End file.
